


Beach Day

by Scherbenreiter



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: F/M, Reflection of the Past, coming to terms with feelings, sea salt quartett, surrogate dad! Isa
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-26
Updated: 2019-08-26
Packaged: 2020-09-27 11:47:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20407225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scherbenreiter/pseuds/Scherbenreiter
Summary: After a sunny beach day, Isa reflects on his feelings towards Xion and realizes that, maybe, she is more important to him that he wants to admit aloud.





	Beach Day

**Author's Note:**

> I've recently joined a Discord server RP and our Xion showed me some Tumblr links.... yeah. Now, surrogate dad Isa is a headcanon to me. Change my mind.
> 
> I just had to get these ideas out of my head. Blame me.  
Also, this not beta'd.

For as long as Isa could remember, _Beachday_ with Lea had always been an adventure of it's own kind.

Back in Radiant Garden, on sunny vacation days that screamed "Ice Cream!" and "Lazy Shadow Chilling!", they had always walked down the river in the morning, following it's bed even through dried-out stretches ( which happened more often than not in hot summer months ) talking about everything and nothing in particular. It was there, where Lea had told him about his first crush, his second crush, his first kiss. If there were secrets to be shared, this was the place where they could be spoken. Everyone knew it.

At some point, the unruly terrain with the many hills would even out eventually, until sand and stone replaced gravel and soil and the never resting rumble of waves crashing against the shore filled waiting, eager ears. The sea would be endless, the water would be clear and warm and sometimes, there would be ships in a distance, sailing towards mysterious lands unknown. Lea and Isa would stay there in the shade of an old maple tree, bare legs streched out on the sand, until the water was dyed a bloody red by the light of the setting sun, only to walk back to the city under the pale light of the moon.

Isa cherished those memories and sometimes he liked to imagine going back to the beach of their youth one day. Maybe, magically, they would feel like those days again, all troubles and fights forgotten. Maybe they would be lucky and close their eyes one moment, only to open them to the realization that the last decade had been a long, bad dream. Maybe he would see blue, blue eyes under black bangs and a smile so radiant that Isa would forget how to breath one more time.

* * *

_ Beachday_ with Lea, Roxas and Xion was, in it's core, not that much different. They would pack more into their bags -real snacks and drinks, a big umbrella, frisbees - and take the train from Twilight Town Mainstation to the coast. The first time, Xion had been so very _excited_ and had never stopped talking to Roxas until the blue of her eyes met the ocean's blues. Isa, in his silent dignity, had fallen behind his companions, actually enjoying the warmth on his skin and the smell of his childhood memories. They hadn't been close then, he and Xion, but her amazement had found it's way into Isa's cherished memories as well. Her big, toothy grin, the sparkle in her eyes, that amused chuckle when, on a whim, Isa had given her the last seasalt icecreme he had bought from the small vendor near the beach. Much to Lea's dismay and Isa's delight, she had taken and eaten it. It had been a nice day indeed.

They still weren't _close_ \- at least that was what Isa liked to tell himself. It felt better, more fitting, than to admit that he had grown to actually care about the blackhaired girl. She had grown on him with her sincere, mature attitude; her tastes in food and drink surprisingly similar to his very own. He had first noticed one winter morning, a few nights before Christmas, after a couple of months of living together in the nice, roof top apartment the four of them had rented out under his name. It had been Lea and Isa's turn in making breakfast - on request of the teens, they were making pancakes - and Isa had first realized that Xion, too, didn't actually like syrup. In fact, both of them didn't like unnatural, overly sweet beverages (one reason why they liked the salt in sea salt Ice Cream so much) and prefered unsweetened tea over soda. They both didn't eat dairy produce by itself, but quite enjoyed cheese pizza. The list of similarities had gotten rather long in the time since Christmas and soon, shopping specific products for himself had evolved to shopping for _Xion and himself_. Not that Lea and Roxas were excluded from drinking Earl Grey tea - they simply didn't like it.

Maybe these mutualities were the reason why right now, Isa was carrying a sleeping Xion on his back, scaling the hills of Twilight Town in the early minutes of a clear, cloudless evening. Without complaining about that fact. Interaction overload was a real thing for him and he needed some space and solitude to unwind. They had spent the whole day at the beach, playing frisbee, swimming, eating ice cream. No wonder the girl had fallen asleep on the way back, the never changing rattle of the train lulling her into a peaceful slumber. And since Roxas und Lea were carrying their equipment and they, too, didn't want to wake their friend, the duty of piggy-backing her had fallen to Isa's capable hand. He didn't mind - something he wouldn't say aloud, just to deny Lea the pleasure of pointing out that he had been right. That Isa cared for them more that he wanted to admit.

Looking over his shoulder to check, a tiny smile stole itself onto Isa's lips. She was still fast asleep, her head leaning against the back of his neck where he had put his long hair into a braid to keep it from drying into horrible clumps. It was a strange little pleasure to see that she felt safe enough around him to do nuzzle into his back. The beginning had not been easy. He had done horrible things to Xion when his chosen name was Saix, and had broken her mind with too much delight. She had been scared, shying away from him even if he wanted to be nice, leaving rooms as soon as he entered whenever she was alone. They had come a long way. Isa felt proud.

They all had come a long way. Lea had been willing to forget the past, but sometimes in the very beginning, Isa still felt the distance between them, his oldest friend's skepticism and caution around him. Roxas had been even worse - a passive- aggressive teen that slashed out against him whenever possible. They weren't close yet, nearing the two year mark of their common living situation, but at least the blond one could tolerate his elder. Sometimes, they even laughed or shared a story or two and the bluehaired man could already feel a certain emotion, he hadn't felt in a long, long time. He felt at home.

Home was a strange concept to Isa. Even stranger than family. He didn't know how both really felt, having lived in an orphanage for as long as he could remember - his earliest memory being left behind by a faceless woman; his mother, he figured. Objectively, he had been safe in the house with the many kids, warm, cared for, but something would always be missing. Missing something he had never known - that was a concept that Isa had never liked to contemplate for too long, since there was no definitive answer to be found and the <strike>boy, no teen, no</strike> man never liked having lose ends that could not be tied. With the arrival of Lea, things had become a lot more conclusive. He was a friend, a brother, a companion Isa could rely on. And he so desperately needed someone to rely on. Someone who would not just vanish without a warning. The very first constant in his life that actually mattered.

And then, there had been her... years later when Isa had figured out what family and home meant. What love meant. And Kingdom Hearts, how he had loved her. She was the first and the only one, his first kiss. And like every other guy who loved a girl, he had imagined things. Family - children - home with her. Ideas that were taken in with open arms. Ideas that evolved to plans only to shatter on her disappearance. Isa had searched for her, Saix had searched to no avail. Instead, he had found a dysfunctional group of heartless creatures, full of deceit. Deceit, that even was derived from himself.

Still, if Isa was honest, the Organization had been the closest to a family he ever had. Caring for others on a daily basis, delegating jobs, living together - a pathetic excuse, but one nevertheless.

Looking ahead again, Isa's eyes drifted to the males that walked quite a distance ahead of him. One blond, one red, laughing and joking about everything and nothing. A common and well-known scene. The former nobody was, if he was being honest, glad that he had surrendered to Lea's offer all those months ago. Not only had he somehow regained his friend and brother, but had also found something like a beasty, teenage-y nephew of some sort. Roxas was far too young to be a brother to him - Isa could have been his father with a slight stretch. And, to be frank, Isa had always imagined himself to be a father to a girl.

For a moment, his eyes again wandered to Xion on his back. She had moved her head a bit to expose her face completely. Her hair had grown a bit and she wore it in a lose ponytail. Her bangs shadowed her face, but the smile was there. A pang of emotion shot through Isa's heart and for a heartbeat, he let his thoughts run wild. Bittersweet nostalgia mixed with amusement directed at himself. What ideas could be birthed by his mind.

Xion looked like the daughter he would have imagined himself having with the girl of his dreams. And for a split second, he had thought of her as such.


End file.
